Grain-drill.



Patented Oct. I4, |902.-

J. A. ROYSTE'R.

GRAIN DRILL.

(Application led Aug. 2, 1902,)

(N0 Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN A. ROYSTER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE THOMAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

GRAIN-DRILL.

SPECXFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,003, dated October 14, 1902.

Application iilecl August 2, 1902. Serial No. 118,047. (No model.)

To all 107mm/ it 71mg/ concern: has been attempted to use them for the sowe it known that I, JOHN A. ROYSTER, a ing of alfalfa and other small seed,it has been citizen of the United States, residing at Louisfound that their use is impracticable for the ville, in the county of Jefferson and State of reason that too large an amount of the seed 55 Kentucky,haveinvented certain new and usepasses through the distributing devices, and ful Improvements in Grain-Drills, of which for the further reason that the smaller seeds the following is a specification, reference betend to clog and pack betweenv the cup or ing had therein to the accompanying drawcasing and the feed-wheel and create so much ings. friction as to preclude the successful opera- 6o lo This invention relates to grain-drills, and tion of the drill. I overcome these objections has for its object to provide a simple and efby the employment of an auxiliary seed-cup, fective means for adapting such drills for use which lits within the mainseed cup or casing, in sowing small grains, such as alfalfa-seed or its mouth overlying and closing the mouth of the like. the main cup or casing and the walls of its 65 To this end myinvention consists in certain body conforming to the space within the main novel features which I will now proceed to cup or casing and between it and the feeddescribe and will then particularly point out wheel, forming a laterally closed conduit, in the claims. which receives the small grain from the main In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is hopper of the drill and discharges it directly 7o 2o a vertical sectional view taken on the line so oc upon the flange of the feed-wheel, said auxof Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the iliary cup conforming in a general way to the arrows, the end of the auxiliary cup being Shape of the space inclosed by the main cup broken away to show the construction. Fig. or casing and those parts of the feed-wheel 2 is a plan view of a portion of a grain-drill lying adjacent to its open side. In the ac- 75 having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 companying drawings this auxiliary cup is is a sectional view taken on the line y y of indicated as a whole by the reference-nu- Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the armeral 10, its upper part having a hopperrows, and Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the shaped body 11, having areceiving-mouth 12, auxiliary seed-cup detached. surrounded on three sides by a flange 13, 8o 3o My invention relates more particularly to which rests upon the edge of the receivingthat class of grain-drills nowin universal use, mouth of the main cup or casing, so as to in which the grain-distributing devices comsupport the auxiliary cup in position in the prise a vertical distributing or feed wheel l, main cup and prevent any of the seed from having at its margin an annular lateral ange entering said main cup when the auxiliary 85 2, provided with ribs or starts 8, and acup or cup is in position. An upstanding liange 14 casing Ll, having a hopper-like body 5,'iitting on the fourth side of the mouth of the auxagainst the side of the wheel and having a. iliary cup adjacent to the feed-wheel closes downward and rearward extension 6, forming the space between the main cup and feeda tapering discharge-throat, closed at one side vwheel on that side and prevents the seed from 9o 4o by the wheel and terminating in a measuring- .passing down between the auxiliary cup and channel 7, restricted laterally by the web or the feed-wheel. The lower portion of the body of the wheel on one side and by a side auxiliary cup forms a tapering conduit 15, plate 8 of the cup on the other, the flange of closed on all four sides, as is the upper or the wheel forming the bottom of the measurhopper-shaped body portion of the auxiliary 95 ing-channel and the top beingformed by a cup, and deflected laterally, as shown in Fig. projection 9 of the casing or cup. These sev- 3, so that the lower end of said conduit lies eral parts may be varied in constructiomand in the space between the body of the feedthe particular form shown ischosen for purwheel and the lower part of the main cup or poses of illustration only to indicate the gencasing. The discharge-mouth of the auxilloo :o eral type of device to which my invention is iary cup, which is indicated at 16, opens diapplicable. In drills of this class, when it rectly downward immediately above the flange 2 of the feed-wheel, the margins of said opening lying in immediate proximity to the said fiange, but sufficiently distant therefrom, of course, to permit the ribs Sto pass freely. The upper front portion of the lower part of the auxiliary cup (indicated at 17) has a curvature struck from the axis of revolution of the feed-wheel as a center, but the lower portion thereof from a point slightly in advance of the dischargemouth to the lower rear terminal point of the auxiliary cup is curved from a different center, as indicated at 18, so that a rearwardly-increasing clearance-space is formed between the outlet end of the cup and the liange of the feedwheel to insure a proper discharge of the seed without clogging or binding. The rear wall 19 of the lower end of the auxiliary cup abuts against the front of the projection 9 of the main cup or casing, as shown in Fig. 1, so that in conjunction with the bearing of the flanges of the mouth of the auxiliary cup on the top of the main cup or casing said auxiliary cup will be firmly seated in position, and when thus seated a single turn-button or latch 20, pivoted to the inner face of one of the walls of the main hopper 21, may be turned down, as shown, so as to bear upon the upper edge of the auxiliary cup, and thus hold the latter firmly in position in the main cup. Thus in practice each auxiliary cup may be dropped into place in the main cup and held in position by the latch or turn-button and may be as readily removed when desired.

It will be observed that by the employment of an auxiliarycup such as l have described the fine seed are prevented from crowding or packing against the feed-wheel between its body portion and the body of the main cup or casing, so that the excessive friction arising from this cause is obviated, the fine seed being delivered directly upon the flange of the feed-wheel and having contact with said wheel at that point only. The conduit formed by the auxiliary cup and the discharge-opening of said cup are so proportioned that excessive flow of the small seed is prevented by the restrictions which their dimensions impose upon it, and the feed may be varied and regulated exactly as in the case of wheat or large grain by varying the speed of rotation of the distributing-wheels, for which purpose numerous well-known mechanisms are available.

The distributing devices of grain-drills of different makes vary in size and shape, and it will be of course understood that my auxiliary cup may be correspondingly varied to adapt it for use with the different styles of distributing devices in connection with which it may be desired to employ it. Moreover, it is obvious that various modications in the details of construction may be made without departing from the principle of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanying drawings. Y

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a grain-distributer comprising a vertical feed-wheel and a main cup therefor, of a removable auxiliary cup fitting within the main cup and constituting a laterally-closed conduit adapted to receive the seed from the seedbox and deliver the same with a restricted flow directly to the feed-wheel, substantially as described.

A 2. The combination, with a grain-distributer comprising a vertical feed-wheel provided with a peripheral annular flange, and a main cup therefor, one side whereof is closed by said wheel, of a removable auxiliary cup litting within the main cup, constituting a laterally-closed conduit adapted to receive the seed from the seedbox and having a discharge-outlet at its lower end to deliver the seed with a restricted fiow directly upon the flange of the feed-wheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a grain-distributer comprising a vertical feed-wheel having an annular marginal flange, and a main cup, one side whereof is closed by the wheel, of a removable auxiliary cup fitting within the main cup, its mouth overlying and closing the mouth of the main cup, its lower portion being downwardly contracted and laterally deflected and provided with a dischargemouth immediately above the flange of the feed-wheel, said auxiliary cup constituting a laterally-closed conduit, whereby the seed is prevented from coming into contact with the main cup or feed-wheel prior to its delivery upon the flange of the latter, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a grain-distributer comprising a vertical feed-wheel having an annular marginal flange, and a main cup therefor, one side of which is closed by the feed-wheel, said distributer being provided with a measuring-channel formed between the lower portions of the cup and wheel, of a removable auxiliary cup fitting within the main cup and having a downwardly-contracted portion provided'with a discharge-outlet immediately above the flange of the feedwheel and in front of the measuring-channel, said auxiliary cup constituting a laterallyclosed conduit which prevents the seed from coming into contact with the main cup orfeedwheel prior to its delivery upon the flange of said wheel, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a seedbox, and a distributer comprising a vertical feed-Wheel extending up into the seedbox and having an annular marginal flange, and a main cup for said feed-wheel, closed thereby at one side, of a removable auxiliary cup fitting within the main cup, its mouth provided with outwardly-extending flanges on three sides to rest upon the edges of the mouth of the main IOO IIO

cup, and with an upstanding flange on the remaining side to cut off the seed from the upper part of the feed-wheel, said auxiliary cup constituting a laterally-closed conduit adapted to receive the seed from the seedbox, and having a downward contracted portion provided with adischarge-mouth located immediately above the flange of the feed-wheel, substantially as described.

G. The combination, with a distributercomprising a vertical feed-wheel, and a main cup therefor having a bearing for the feed-wheel, and a projection below said bearing, of a removable auXiliary cup fitting within the main cup and provided at its upper endwith flanges to rest upon the main cup, its lower end abutting against the projection of the main cup, and a latch pivoted on the main hopper and adapted to engage the upper edge of the auxiliary cup to hold the same in position, sub'- stantially as described.

7. The combination, with a grain-distributer comprising a vertical feed-wheel having an annular marginal iiange, and a main cup therefor, of a removable auxiliary cup ittin g Within the main cup and having its lower portion contracted and provided with a downwardly-directed discharge-opening immediately above the fiange of the feed-wheel, the lower end ot' said auxiliary cup diverging rearwardly from said flange to form a clearance-space, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. ROYSTER.

Vitnesses:

AL H. KUNKLE, IRVINE MILLER. 

